


Attendant

by SinFrog



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Could be taken as shippy? If y'want, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Mental Health Issues, Mostly Sonic POV but the focus is on Shade, Shade has a lot of things to unlearn and a lot of things to recover from, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, Written in one sitting as a challenge, i guess??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-14 21:27:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28927278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SinFrog/pseuds/SinFrog
Summary: While the Blue Cyclone is in wormhole transit, Sonic tries to deal with an unforeseen side-effect of living with Shade.(Sonic Chronicles AU in which it takes a few months to cross into the Twilight Cage, and the Blue Cyclone is equipped for everyone to sustain themselves for that time.)
Relationships: Sonic the Hedgehog & Shade the Echidna
Kudos: 6





	Attendant

Sonic stared out of the Blue Cyclone’s window aimlessly, watching the slow throb of psychedelic colours and patterns that formed the dimensional wormhole through which they travelled. It had been a couple of weeks since they’d set off on their journey to the Twilight Cage, and Tails had estimated the total journey time would be _months_ due to a bunch of science mumbo-jumbo Sonic didn’t care to understand.

He’d learned to make the best of being essentially trapped, had to hand it to Eggman – he and Tails made a pretty sweet interdimensional cruise ship to accommodate the entire Twilight Cage raid squad! Getting to share a living space with some of his closest friends (and to have a ‘living space’ at all) had proven to be an enjoyable change of pace, but there was one _new_ friend that had been causing him a bit of strife.

_Clunk, clunk, clunk-_

A sterile hiss came from a nearby door to reveal Shade the Echidna, ex-minion of Imperator Ix and new ally to Sonic. She briskly marched over to where Sonic was sitting with her head held high and body language taught, she carried herself much like a soldier on duty at all times.

“Sonic. I’ve finished organizing everyone’s clothing and cleaned the mess Omega left in the training hall.” When she spoke, her arms stayed rigid against her sides and her voice was monotone; Shade’s words flew from her mouth at high speed yet with perfect clarity, a sure sign that she’d done this sort of thing countless times before.

“Uh… That’s great! I’m sure they appreciate it.” Sonic rubbed the back of his head with an awkward smile.

“Is there anything else that you want me to do?”

This had been the routine since practically the start of the trip. No matter where Sonic went or whatever he was doing, Shade followed closely behind like some kind of… Maid. Cleaning, checking the ship’s systems, sparring, she’d even attend social gatherings if Sonic asked! Which he didn’t, because it was painfully obvious that she had no idea what to do or how to act when around large groups and it made him feel guilty to put her through the discomfort.

Monopoly on the ship was a mistake.

It wasn’t even that Sonic was uncomfortable with Shade’s presence, it was the exact opposite! He thought she was _cool_ , mysterious and he wanted to get to know her better – but this was absolutely not the dynamic that he was after. After a few strained seconds of silence, Sonic sighed and placed his hands on the table he was sat at.

“I want you to take a _break_ , how long have you been at this today?”

“That’s not exactly easy to track, given the-“

“There’s clocks everywhere specifically so we don’t go crazy and forget what time is, did you forget to check?”

Shade’s face twitched, the most expressive she’d been since they started talking.

“We… Didn’t have anything like that in the Twilight Cage. I’m not used to it, but from now on I’ll make a note of when I start the day’s activities and-”  
  
Shade kept going, but Sonic had tuned her out.

He had a pretty solid hunch that the way she was acting was directly because of said time in the Twilight Cage. He didn’t exactly get enough time to learn much about Imperator Ix, but he didn’t seem like the type who’d give his servants a lunch break even _if_ she were his second-in-command. The constant requests for more ‘orders’, the militant persona when they talked, following him around everywhere? Shade might have physically been distanced from Ix, but the scars of his abuse ran so much deeper than physicality. She’d turned to coping by finding herself a new master, and Sonic _hated_ the very idea of ruling over someone - But what was he able to do about it?  
Weeks had gone by and so far nothing had gotten Shade out of her quarters besides following Sonic’s commands, but he didn’t know how much more he could take of feeding her unhealthy coping mechanism, the guilt was messing with his sleep!

“Sonic?”

“What- Huh? Sorry, Shade, what were you saying?”

“I was asking if you’d eaten.”

…A metaphorical lightbulb went off above Sonic’s head.

“Nope, and I’m gonna take a wild guess and say you haven’t either.” Sonic grinned, getting to his feet.

  
Shade didn’t meet Sonic’s eyes, looking down at the floor.

“No, I have not. I haven’t had to eat in 4000-“

“Yeah, yeah, c’mon! Kitchen first, talking later!” Much to Shade’s shock, Sonic zipped behind her and began to push her in the direction of the kitchen amidst startled protests. She had a habit of drawing attention to her differences with everyone else, beating herself up for not fitting in.

_“Just another habit to break. When all this is over, I want you to live a peaceful life YOUR way, not mine!”_

* * *

“This process takes quite a while.” Shade stated bluntly.

“Well, that’s what’s so great about making your own food! You pour effort into each step and the finished product is all the better for it. There’s something satisfying about it too, taking a bunch of raw ingredients and mixing them up into the perfect-“

_Ding!_

“-chili dogs!”

At the timer’s chime, Sonic zoomed over to the grill and became a blur, assembling a pair of delicious chili dogs and plating them up before Shade could even say a word. Now that it was sitting in front of her, she hardly knew how to proceed – this food looked totally alien! And that was saying something, given where she’d spent the last 4000 years. Her mouth hung slightly agape and her hands awkwardly hovered close to her chest while Sonic took a casual first bite.

“You can uh, just use your hands. Maybe take the gauntlets off?” Sonic said with his mouth full. Gross.

Shade’s gauntlets fizzled away into pink light after a bit of fiddling and she took the chili dog in her hands. Sonic was impressed by the technology but was even more interested in Shade’s inevitable reaction to the dish, she took a bite, and… Her eyes lit up! She looked at Sonic who was wearing a smug grin, proud that his efforts had gone appreciated.

“Pretty incredible, right?”

“It’s overwhelming…” Shade still hadn’t taken another bite, mouth aflame with spicy flavour.

“Yeah, right on! Uh, you mean overwhelmingly tasty, dont’cha?” Sonic’s right ear flopped to one side as he tacked on his less-than-sure question, to which Shade smiled.

“Yes. That. Thank you for sharing this with me, I did my best to memorize all the details, so I’ll be sure to make it for you in return.” Shade bowed her head for a moment, then started absolutely demolishing her chili dog. Sonic chuckled while shaking his head, and the two ate in silence for a while.

* * *

“Say, what _have_ you been eating up until now? Never caught you in here before.”

“I’ve been living off of a cache of ration blocks.” Shade stated matter-of-factly, her plate stained by the large number of spicy hot dogs she’d eaten of the batch Sonic cooked.

“Bleh! _Those_ things? No wonder some good food came as a shock, they’re totally awful! You know we’re only supposed to eat those if things get really bad, right?” Sonic made a face, disgusted by the thought of eating nothing but those bare-bones rations for weeks on end.

Shade didn’t say anything. Her eyes turned down to her plate as her face clouded over, as though she were ashamed. Sonic wasn’t quite prepared for that but surmised something in his tone must’ve made her feel like she was being scolded.

“Hey… Don’t look like that, now you’ve got a reason to come in here and make yourself something that’ll actually do you some good! It might feel like it isn’t worth the effort at first, but a little self-care goes a long way.”

“W-Will you still make them with me?” Shade blurted that out a little too fast and a little too loud, causing Sonic’s eyes to widen for a moment.

“Heh. Sure I will! But don’t hold yourself back for my sake, got it? I want you to do things like this for _your_ sake. If I’m honest… I really don’t like giving you orders all the time, but giving you reasons to get out of your room and feel good before we reach the Twilight Cage? Shoot, me and the rest of the team could do that all day!”

“The rest...?”

“Yeah, y’know – all those people you currently share a roof with? Red echidna that kinda _really_ wants to talk to you? Rather than sticking to me, you oughta get to know them a bit. Would you mind not asking me to give you orders anymore, Shade?”

She looked apprehensive, staring at her lap. Something in her mind said that this was just Sonic throwing her out, that she hadn’t been useful enough, that it was Ix all over again. Shade’s hands balled into fists and sent claws digging into her palms, face contorted with frustration and pain as she quietly shook.

“…Shade? Hey, what’s wrong?” Now it was Sonic’s turn to look apprehensive, had he messed up and pushed too much all at once? He got up and walked around the table to be at her side, gingerly placing a hand on Shade’s shoulder. He didn’t consider himself great at this kind of thing, but he had to try.

“Talk to me.”

A good few seconds passed by with Shade unable to do anything but stammer, trying to force out words that cut themselves short. After a while, she took a deep breath, and finally the ball began to roll.

“What am I supposed to do?”

“I dedicated longer than I can even comprehend to him, I swore my life to his cause! I feel _guilty_ for every second I spend here not helping him, even after he threw me out! He haunts me, every second I’m alone and not doing anything. Every time I’m defenseless I start seeing him in the corners of my eyes, I-! ”

Sonic’s ears drooped; it was exactly like he’d guessed. She’d been trying to hold together some sense of familiarity by imprinting Ix onto him, but that was never going to last. Shade’s hands had moved to cover her face and shook as she took trembling breaths - For a moment Sonic was reminded of Shahra.

“I’m sorry.” Shade said in a flat tone, hands slightly parting and breath back under control.

“You don’t have to apologize, it’s _Ix_ that should be sorry. I can’t even fathom what sort of awful things he put you through for all those years, but once we’re through in the Twilight Cage I promise that you’re never gonna see his ugly mug again, got it?”

She wanted to argue, tell him that he was a fool who had no idea what Ix was capable of. Try as she might though, when Shade looked back into Sonic’s eyes all she could find were pools of bright green sincerity, and the words melted away before she could say them. She didn’t have the energy anymore.

“…I’m going to go back to my room now, if that’s alright.”

* * *

Even after what he’d said, Shade still apologized for her ‘episode’ after Sonic had walked her back to her room. There was a lot to unpack regarding his new friend and a lot to think about, but if nothing else he’d like to believe that he’d helped her find her footing to start walking a road to recovery. If he hadn't said anything, she'd still just be trying to serve him all the time! It would take years, and there’d be scars that would never heal, but he’d seen cases like Shadow – another person she would probably benefit from talking to – so Sonic had the upmost faith that Shade could make a better life for herself. He looked out of the Blue Cyclone’s window at the whirlpool of colours surrounding the ship on all sides, letting out a yawn. He’d check on her tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Shade lie perfectly still inside her locked quarters, processing what had happened during what started as a peaceful meal. Sonic wasn’t her master, but it wasn’t because he hated her like Ix did (because that’s what it was, obviously). His warm words about looking after herself bounced around inside Shade’s head as she slowly came to terms with what could be called his final order to her.

He wanted her to heal. Even as they hurtled through an interdimensional wormhole right into Ix’s certain death trap surrounded by planets full of powerful aliens, he was thinking about his team and how they felt. _That_ was the difference between Sonic and Ix, Shade realized. It was a simple, stupid answer, but Sonic really cared about her despite all that she’d done… Just as stupidly, Shade found herself still wanting to be around Sonic, sharing in light-hearted moments like they’d had while eating together – moments that made her feel like she had someone supporting her again. When was the last time she’d been so carefree? Her discordant thoughts were quelled by the memory of Sonic’s encouragement, and soon enough she was claimed by sleep. 

**Author's Note:**

> I realized while writing it that Shade's lil' moment kinda starts really similarly to the lil' moment Tails has in that Sonaze fic I wrote, whoopsie! Anyways, hope y'all enjoyed please appreciate Shade the Echidna.


End file.
